Reporting Festival Birds

When a rare bird turns up during a birding festival, it may appear on many eBird reports. eBird has hidden data-crunching tools that sort birds entered by multiple people at the same site. Dozens of reports of a male Masked Duck at the Viera Wetlands count as just one. Why should everyone at a festival report to eBird if there are duplicate sightings? Most checklists will include one or two birds no one else saw. Also, eBird can accurately keep track of the birds on each participant’s life list and state lists only if all the data are reported.
— Laura Erickson